Equipment at Columbia Brewery. Ordered by Seattle Equipment & Supply.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Machinery;

One of the staff at Columbia Breweries dumps hops into one of the brew kettles. Production of Tacoma's three malt beverages, Alt Heidelberg beer, Columbia beer and Columbia ale, was under the supervision of three master brewers. Anders W. Erikson was the brewmaster at this time and was also a director of the company. Mr. Erikson served his apprenticeship under the late Otto Birkmaier who was brewmaster for many years at the brewery. Since the death of Birkmaier in 1946, Erikson had served as brewmaster. Michael Kneipe served as first assistant brewmaster while Helmut Mesamer was second assistant brewmaster. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-2 & p.B-4)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

A new bottle shop was included in the expansion program at Columbia Breweries begun in 1949. Earlier legislation had required bottling works to be across the road from the brew house. Columbia Breweries' new bottle shop has expanded into new, three-story facilities along South C Street with state-of-the-art bottling lines filling 2,400 cases per hour. One hundred and fifty persons are employed in this department under the supervision of I.E. Heath, bottle shop manager, and his assistant manager, Lawrence Alnutt.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Brewery's Annual Sales Meeting, 1952. Group of approximately 26 salesmen from Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska in front of the entrance to the Heidelberg Brewery. The men dressed in suits and ties pose for the camera, with the front row sitting in folding chairs. Robert S. Jamieson, seated fifth from the left, was the Sales Manager for the company.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Sales personnel--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--People;

An interior view of Columbia Breweries, Inc., showing the brewing equipment. The new brew house provided for two gleaming copper kettles in a tile setting. Here batches, or brews, of hundreds of barrels each were brought to a vigorous boil several times a day under the eye of the brewmaster, Anders W. Erikson, and his assistants. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries, Inc., bottling department, showing up-to-date, automatic bottling equipment. Four fillers could fill an average of 265 bottles per minute each. A line of cans winds from near the ceiling to the filling machine on the left. Two men can be seen behind the two filling machines on the right that are filling stubby glass bottles. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bottles;

A tall glass of Columbia Pale Ale stands next to a bottle with their attractive label for the ale. A drawing of the Statue of Liberty, barley and the words "True Top Fermentation" decorate the label. Columbia Breweries followed the traditional brewing method for ale using a top-fermenting yeast that was faster acting and fermented at a higher temperature than lager.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Beer--Tacoma;

A group of 23 salemen from Columbia Breweries for Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska pose in front of the company facilities in Tacoma during a recent sales meeting. Robert S. Jamieson, seated fourth from the left, was sales manager of the company. Names are listed in the newspaper. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-10)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Sales personnel--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--People;

A May 31, 1951 photographic tour of the new expanded Columbia Breweries revealed this view of the racking room, showing the filling and bunging of stainless steel and aluminum kegs. All the kegs were steam scoured and freshly rinsed prior to filling. Columbia Breweries was located at 2120-32 So. C St. in Tacoma. The brewery began operation in Tacoma in 1900. Its Alt Heidelberg brand beer with the familiar logo of the Student Prince was known nationwide. The plant was purchased by Carling Brewery in 1959 and closed 20 years later in June of 1979. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. TPL-7951

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An additional automated can filling machine was included in the expansion begun by Columbia Breweries in 1948. Alt Heidelberg is being filled into cans along this assembly line that helped maintain production for distribution throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California, Alaska and Hawaii. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A line of tanks are seen in the new cellars at Columbia Breweries. Once the newly brewed beer, "wort", had been boiled it was transferred from the kettles through a strainer, or "hopjack", which separated the hops from the wort. The wort was then cooled in wort coolers. The wort was piped into a large vat, "fermenting tun", housed in a cool cellar or an ice chamber. Yeast was added while the wort was in the fermenting vats. For lager beer, bottom-fermenting yeast was used, taking 7-11 days to complete fermentation. Ale was made using top-fermenting yeast that was faster acting and fermented at a higher temperature. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (Brewed in the Pacific Northwest, Gary and Gloria Meier)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The loading docks at Columbia Breweries are filled with trucks ready to deliver Alt Heidelberg throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and northern California. A warehouse for case goods and a new receiving and shipping depot was added to the plant during the expansion begun in 1948. A gasoline pump can be seen in the left foreground. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior of Columbia Breweries where one of the brewery's more than 160 employees operates the switches to machinery moving materials throughout the facility. Most early breweries had arranged their equipment for efficiency and took advantage of gravity. Grain storage and milling was often located high in the brewery on the 3rd or 4th floor. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (Brewed in the Pacific Northwest, Gary and Gloria Meier)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Workmen are using forklifts to move cartons of Alt Heidelberg into delivery trucks backed up to the loading docks at Columbia Breweries. A warehouse and shipping depot was developed on the Jefferson Avenue frontage of the plant while the main office remained at 2120 South C Street. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior of Columbia Breweries is shown after the completion of a program of expansion begun in 1948. During the processing of beer, barley malt and hops are first boiled in copper brew kettles and then the wort is strained and cooled. It is then fermented with yeasts. After fermentation, most of the yeast is removed and the beer would be decanted into storage tanks where it would be aged up to several months. Shown here is one of the finishing filters through which every drop of the brewery's products passed. Specially devised filter pads were changed at regular intervals. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-6)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries included an additional 39,000 square foot unit to warehouse case goods and a new shipping and receiving depot in their expansion program begun in 1948. The facilities provided for thousands of cartons of Alt Heidelberg to be stored on pallets and moved by forklifts until needed to fill orders throughout the Pacific Northwest. The shipping depot extended for practically two blocks along Jefferson Street. Packaged beer was conveyed from the bottle shop to the shipping depot through an elevated bridge which crossed the railroad yards. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-7)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries had come a long way from the early steam plant powered by wood as seen in this newly refurbished control room. There are plenty of tubes, pipes, tanks, guages and dials to provide more stringent levels of control than ever before. The pumps seen in the middle of the room were manufactured by the Wittemann Company in Buffalo, New York. A large "W" can be seen as added to the tops of two of the tanks towards the left. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Control rooms--Tacoma;

A sparkling glass of Alt Heidelberg has been set within a frame with the beer's logo of the Student Prince. Heidelberg was Columbia Breweries' lager-style beer. A studio set-up for Columbia Breweries ordered by Marshall Riconosciuto, advertising manager.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Beer--Tacoma; Advertising--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries had two enormous brewing kettles each with a capacity of 330 barrels each and of nearly 2,000 barrels in 24 hours. An average of six brews were made each day. Water was obtained from two artesian wells located on the brewery's property and approximately 50 tons of grain were used each day. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kettles;

Preliminary filtering operations at Columbia Breweries. Columbia's two fine beverages were pumped through this filtration process as their first step in assuring clarity. The beer would pass through one more battery of filters before bottling. Glass inserts can be seen in the left forefront to show the progress of filtering the beer and ale from the secondary fermentation tanks. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-6)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries was proud of their new storage cellars where thousands of barrels of Alt Heidelberg Beer and Columbia Ale were constantly in the process of being perfected. Floor upon floor, cellar after cellar, there were rows of giant tanks holding up to 800 barrels each. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Assembly-line methods were also provided in the shipping areas of the recently expanded plant at Columbia Breweries. Cartons filled with cans of Alt Heidelberg travel along moving belts to be sealed and prepared for shipment. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Sophisticated pumps and filters have been added during the remodeling and rebuilding of the plant at Columbia Breweries begun in 1948. A workman stands by the controls. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Not all operations had been automated at the newly expanded Columbia Breweries plant on May 31, 1951. Empty Alt Heidelberg bottles were being pulled from cartons in the left foreground to add them to the automated processes. Lines of cartons moved along conveyor belts from one level to another looking like freeway entrance ramps while workmen made sure nothing caused the line to be stopped. Every working day in 1952, 20,000 cases, or nearly 500,000 bottles, entered through one entrance to the bottling department and left by another. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-8)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bottles;

ca. 1919. Much of the work bottling beer at Columbia Brewing Company was done by hand. Bottles were soaked, rinsed, filled, capped, and made ready for shipment. Bottles began to be used for beer in the 1890's using green glass. Brown glass didn't become popular until after prohibition, after 1933. Half gallon sizes were popular at this time. A sign against the wall on the left advertises "Columbia Golden Drops Beer." (Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Bottles; Signs (Notices);

ca. 1916. A combination of delivery trucks and horse drawn wagons are shown here with 25 of the brewery's employees. The truck on the right advertises Alt Heidelberg. The man standing by the opening to that truck with the dark beard is Emile Kliese, president, owner and brewmaster of the brewery from its founding in 1900 until 1916. The two wagons have canopies over the drivers seats. Both wagons are loaded with barrels. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. Format 2" x 9 1/2"

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Kliese, Emile;

ca. 1919. The wooden-tanked and crudely refrigerated cellar was the one and only storage cellar of the early day Columbia Brewing Company. In those days the brewery had scarcely more than a few hundred barrels of beer in production. Frost has condensed on the pipes leading around the top of this cellar. Gustav Schuster, manager of Columbia Brewing Company from September 17, 1917, to October 31, 1929, is standing on the left with a hat and moustache. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. (TNT, 1/7/1952) Format 6 1/4" x 7 1/2" TPL-7952

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Schuster, Gustav;

ca. 1935. Columbia Brewing Company was purchased by Elmer Hemrich in 1933 and the name was changed to Columbia Breweries, Inc. The automobiles in this photograph are from the 1920's and 1930's which provide an estimated date of 1935. The brewery has been added onto with another structure along the right side about halfway back and a one story addition at the top. In 1936 Columbia began construction of a $120,000 bottling shop, a portion of which was devoted to canned beer. Columbia was the first of the Northwest brewers to introduce canned beer in this territory. This shop completed the third unit of their building program, the first two being the brew house and cellars. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. (Ledger, 3/30/1936)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. A view of Columbia Breweries along South C Street from 23rd Street South. The main brewery building looks quite different from earlier photographs. It has been widened and the clapboards either removed or covered. A street sign for 23rd Street South is seen attached to the utility pole in the near right corner. Harrison Brothers office can be seen at 2140 South C Street. Many automobiles from the time are parked along the street. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. The photographer's name in the lower right shows, "Associated Photographic Service, 714 Market Street, Tacoma".

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1932. Columbia Brewing Company is using one of their wagons in a parade, perhaps for the 4th of July or Memorial Day. The two teams of horses have been draped with bunting and the wagon has been decorated with flags. A young woman stands on the wagon wearing a long white dress. Two men wearing mustaches and dress hats are driving the horses. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. Format 4" x 9 1/2"

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Carts & wagons--Tacoma--1930-1940; Horse teams--Tacoma--1930-1940;